Six year old punched while trying to stop assault

A 6-year-old girl was punched Thursday when she tried{ }to help{ }her mother who had been attacked on a sidewalk.{ }

Police say the girl and her mother were walking in the 1200 block of Whittington Drive in Lothian around 4:40 p.m. when a teen approached them from behind and asked for money.{ }

The girl's mother was punched and knocked to the ground. Police say the suspect{ }began kicking and punching her while trying to grab her purse.{ }

When the young girl tried to break up the fight, the suspect punched her in the chest and ran off.{ }

“She was knocked to the ground, punched, and kicked,” says Justin Mulcahy of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. “It appears her 6-year-old daughter was with her was attempting to intervene and stop the attack and that’s when she was punched in the stomach.”{ }

The girl's great uncle, Albert Kinard, says she came to him for help.{ }

"He had no business hitting that girl," Kinard says.

The mother and daughter were treated for minor injuries.{ }

“Very, very unusual scenario. It’s not something you hear about. It’s very serious, very alarming that you have anyone hurt, especially a child,” Murphy says.{ }

The suspect is described as a tall black teen with a thin build and short hair. He was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. Police don't think this was a random attack and are asking for anyone with information to give them a call.{ }